Conservative Texas lawmakers are working hard to increase abortion rates across the state

﻿Under new legislation set to take effect this fall, the State of Texas plans to exclude Planned Parenthood providers from its Women’s Health Program, saying that there are “plenty” of other options for Texas women enrolled in the WHP.

Last week, RH Reality Check reporter Andrea Grimes took to the state’s database of WHP providers to schedule a “well woman” annual exam, which includes screening for breast cancer, ovarian cysts and the human papillomavirus (HPV), and is a yearly requirement to obtain contraceptive prescriptions.

Out of the state’s listing of 181 providers within 30 miles of a busy Austin zip code, Grimes was able to find 13 that actually provide the services and are accepting WHP patients. The rest of the list was made up of duplicates, closed offices, labs, doctors unrelated to women’s health services, and providers who do not accept WHP patients.

So what does this mean for women in Texas who rely on the WHP for their medical care? Opponents of the state’s new direction say it means greater instances of breast and cervical cancer, greater numbers of unplanned pregnancies, and the plummeting of the quality of healthcare to women across the state. The reduction of accessibility to contraceptives will undoubtedly increase the number of abortions in Texas, experts say, despite conservative lawmakers’ assertion that their goal in this effort is to combat abortion.

Uninformed voters have expressed concern that they don’t want public funds spent on abortions. But none of the WHP services involves abortions, through Planned Parenthood or elsewhere. Opponents of Planned Parenthood have worked hard to cast the organization as synonymous with abortion, an inaccurate yet widely-held notion. More than 97 percent of Planned Parenthood’s services are for family planning, contraception, testing and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, cancer screening and education, while the abortion-providing affiliates are financially and operationally separate from those participating in the WHP.

And as if the reduction in accessible care to Texas women is not bad enough, this is all being done at an added expense to the state – to the tune of $35 million. In March, Governor Rick Perry announced Texas would forfeit federal funds from a Medicaid waiver program in favor of excluding Planned Parenthood.

Yes, you read that right: as our state lawmakers work to reconcile budget shortfalls, make cuts to education spending and combat unemployment, our governor is refusing $35 million of federal medical funds to make a political statement – one that will restrict medical care to hundreds of thousands of poor Texas women, increase instances of undiagnosed cancer, increase the number of unplanned pregnancies, increase abortion rates, and leave an added financial burden on the state.